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Colombia to hold peace talks with 2nd-largest rebel group Colombia to hold peace talks with 2nd-largest rebel group
(about 2 hours later)
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia will hold formal peace talks with the country’s second-largest rebel group, heightening expectations for a definitive end to a half-century of political violence in the Andean nation.BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia will hold formal peace talks with the country’s second-largest rebel group, heightening expectations for a definitive end to a half-century of political violence in the Andean nation.
The government has held exploratory talks in Ecuador with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, for more than a year. Negotiators for the two sides announced Wednesday at a press conference in Caracas that those talks will now be formalized, though a start date has not yet been set. The government has been in exploratory talks in Ecuador with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, for more than a year. Negotiators for the two sides announced Wednesday at a press conference in Caracas that those talks will now be formalized around a six-point agenda including justice for victims, disarmament, and reintegration into society. A start date has not yet been set.
Talks will kick off in Ecuador and then continue in Venezuela, Brazil and Chile and Cuba. The five countries along with Norway will sponsor the talks. Negotiations will kick off in Ecuador and then continue in Venezuela, Brazil and Chile and Cuba. The five countries along with Norway will sponsor the talks.
“If we can make peace, it will be the end of guerrilla fighters in Colombia,” said Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos. “If we can make peace, it will be the end of guerrilla fighters in Colombia and thus in Latin America,” said Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos.
The government has been negotiating for three years in Havana with the largest Colombian rebel group, the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.The government has been negotiating for three years in Havana with the largest Colombian rebel group, the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Santos emphasized that some important points had already been agreed upon in Havana, and would not open for renegotiation in the new talks with the ELN, including a truth commission and special tribunal system.
The smaller ELN, which the U.S government classifies as a terrorist group, has an estimated fighting force of around 1,500 and relies on extortion and kidnapping to fund its insurgency. Its main base of operations is eastern Colombia, along the border with Venezuela, where it frequently bombs a major oil pipeline.The smaller ELN, which the U.S government classifies as a terrorist group, has an estimated fighting force of around 1,500 and relies on extortion and kidnapping to fund its insurgency. Its main base of operations is eastern Colombia, along the border with Venezuela, where it frequently bombs a major oil pipeline.
The group, founded by radical Catholic priests, has long prided itself on being more ideologically pure than the FARC. Unlike the peasant-based FARC, the ELN shares a tradition with other leftist insurgencies in Latin America that were formed by urban students and intellectuals the wake of the Cuban Revolution. The group, founded by radical Catholic priests in the 1960s, prides itself on being more ideologically pure than the FARC. Unlike the peasant-based FARC, the ELN shares a tradition with other leftist insurgencies in Latin America that were formed by urban students and intellectuals the wake of the Cuban Revolution.
But many analysts say the same orthodoxy that led it to shun a heavier involvement in Colombia’s drug trade also blinded commanders to the opportunity to negotiate a far-reaching deal. In recent weeks, the group kidnapped a local councilman and captured an army sergeant, actions that led President Juan Manuel Santos to warm the group was at risk of missing the “peace train” But many analysts say the same orthodoxy that led the ELN to shun a heavier involvement in Colombia’s drug trade also blinded commanders to the opportunity to negotiate a far-reaching deal.
Colombia’s long-running civil war has killed an estimated 200,000 people. In recent weeks, the group kidnapped a local councilman and captured an army sergeant, actions that led President Juan Manuel Santos to warm the group was at risk of missing the “peace train”
Colombia’s civil war has killed an estimated 200,000 people.
Human rights groups greeted news of the talks with cautious optimism, but stressed the importance of punishing all those who have committed abuses during the long-running conflict.
“The talks between the ELN and the government, coupled with an imminent peace deal with the FARC, bring hope that more than half a century of conflict in Colombia might soon be over,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. “The government and the ELN must ensure that human rights, including measures to put an end to impunity, lie at the heart of the negotiations.”
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.